If you’ve never had a photo shoot with your friends, you’re missing out. Getting dressed up and documenting your adorable friendship is such a fun way to spend the day with your besties. Thankfully, creating the perfect photo shoot is a craft that can be mastered. Here are some tips to help you get there.
1. Decide what camera you want to use
You and your friends may not have the luxury of taking pictures with a fancy DSLR camera. Don’t fret! As great as it can be to have a DSLR for photo shoots, it’s not imperative that you have one. As long as you keep some basic photography principles in mind, your photos can come out great on your smartphone camera.
2. Pick the right setting
It’s important to consider lighting and scenery when planning a great photo shoot. Outside photo shoots in daylight tend to look the best. Make sure the sun is behind the photographer and the backdrop is somewhat scenic to maximize the quality of photos. In Gainesville, some great spots for photo shoots could be downtown, Paynes Prairie and at Lake Alice on campus.
3. Get the wardrobe and makeup just right
This is the fun part, in my opinion. Try to get creative when coming up with what to wear in your photos. The wardrobe can really reflect the tone of the shoot, so think about what you want that to be. Extra points for coordinating outfits with your friends!
4. Experiment to learn your angles and lighting
When you start taking pictures, try out different poses and angles to get an idea of what looks best. Once you sift through those first tries, you can tailor the rest of your poses to what came out the best.
5. Use the right editing tool
Editing can be the key to a great photo shoot, especially if you’re using a lower quality camera. You don’t need to be skilled in Photoshop to be able to edit photos well. iPhoto can be a great editing tool if you have a Mac. My personal favorite photo editing app is Afterlight, which has a wide array of filter choices and really lets you customize with photo settings.
6. Pick the right photos for the right social networks
Once you’ve uploaded, edited and looked through your awesome photos, you can probably get an idea of which ones look best on which social network. The more artsy photos will work great for Instagram or Tumblr. Your cutest photos with your friends are perfect for Facebook. I’m sure you’ll be able to find new profile pictures for all your social media as well!
7. Print and frame your favorites
Remember when I told you how important it is to print your photos? This is where that comes into play. Before these photos get lost in the shuffle, make sure you print your favorites.
Now that you’re armed with these tips and tricks to a perfect photo shoot, you can get to the fun part — planning your own photo shoot! Remember to get creative and have fun with it, and you’ll be thrilled with the results.
Photo credits: thelifeofhalle.wordpress.com, youtube.com, haleygrahamblog.com, mikaelaruthblog.com, windowscentral.com, nydailynews.com, hercampus.com